Long Beach City College is calling on artists to apply for a mural project the college is commissioning with a focus on equity, inclusion and diversity for its recently completed Building M at its Liberal Arts Campus in East Long Beach, the college announced Tuesday.
The mural will be on an east-facing exterior wall of Building M, which is located north of Carson Street on Faculty Road. LBCC is providing a budget of $30,000 for an 18-foot-tall and 15-foot-wide mural project that it hopes to unveil at the end of August.
Artists interested in the project need to apply by April 7 at 5 p.m.
“It is important that we create a place where students, our employees and the community-at-large feel like they are seen and included in our campus community,” said Long Beach Community College District Board of Trustees President Herlinda Chico. “This is our first step to create our own public art collection.”
Artists will be allowed to use whatever materials they want but the college advised that they should be able to stand up to constant exposure to the elements.
The top five finalists for the project are expected to be announced April 21, with a finalist being named in mid-June, according to the request for proposal posted by the college.
The installation of the mural is currently expected to begin in July with the college planning to hold a completion ceremony on Aug. 25.
LBCC began rebuilding Building M after tearing down two nearly 90-year old buildings in 2020. The $77 million project opened in late 2022 and now houses language arts, foreign language, computer and office studies classes.
The ground floor of the 82,000-square-foot building is home to a number of student services. Building M was built with the help of $1.3 billion in bonds the school has issued since 2008.
Applicants should send a letter of interest and artwork samples to the college’s Public Arts Advisory Group. For full details about what to submit, click here to view the full request for proposals.
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